Journalism in the Dark Ages: The Real Problems Happening in Newsrooms across the United States

I spent six years working in local news. Four of those years were under Trump. It is baffling to me the disconnect between journalists and the people they serve. The public would be surprised to find out what’s really going on behind the scenes. Fake news albeit a real crisis isn’t quite the epicenter, even though it is discouraging that people literally can’t tell the difference between what is real and what is fabricated.

I want to discuss with you far worse issues leading to the erosion of the fourth wing of democracy. If changes are not made soon, journalism could soon morph into a sole engine for advertising — or be but a caged tiger with no real field to hunt.

Some industries in this world would love for journalism to be a caged tiger. There are corporations, politicians, and powerful personalities that would like the truth kept at bay. They want the public dumb, duped, and easily amused. They want to control our shared narratives. These entities would prefer that rising journalists don’t have the tools they need to properly tell stories. They don’t want journalists to help people see reality because that’s how a revolution would start. That’s how people would realize they’re being taken advantage of by an infrastructure that supports the wealthy 1%.